prinz hallgartener jungfer kabinett riesling (rheingau)

點擊次數(shù)：1987

Scents of Iris shading toward sweeter lily-of-the-valley perfume the Prinz 2011 Hallgartener Jungfer Riesling Kabinett and complement the at once soothing and refreshingly stimulating impression of lime sherbet conveyed on the palate. Hints of fresh lemon juice serve as a welcome foil for the wine’s 70 grams of residual sugar, thanks to which it comes off as delightfully delicate. A long, tangy and liquid floral finish – incorporating alkaline and stony hints – may not be the most interactive or complex but irresistibly calls forth the next sip. Plan to enjoy this fine value through at least 2018. Like so many of his neighbors, Fred Prinz reports having had to overcome rot and acetification in mid-September of 2011, especially in lower-lying parcels; and due to the warm weather at that early stage in the harvest, he reports that his crews had to stop picking by 8:00 or 9:00 each morning, and were even then using dry ice in the baskets. Grapes from these early pickings were pressed immediately and the juice chilled via exchange plates. “Even so, we sometimes threw dry ice directly into the must,” Prinz told me, adding “Fortunately by the beginning of October, the nights got chilly, so heat was no longer a problem. But without early-picked lots for eventual back-blending, there’s no way I could have bottled any Kabinetts.” Pretty much as usual, the young wines here only stayed on their lees through January and bottling was split between March and May. One exception: The last time I visited him, in September, 2012, Prinz’s still-fermenting 2011 Hendelberg T.B.A. was not even remotely close to becoming officially wine; and, like me, he marvels at those growers who somehow managed to obtain finished T.B.A.s from mega must weight by spring or early summer. Imported by Dee Vine Wines, San Francisco, CA tel. (877) 389-9463; also imported by Magellan Wines, Centennial, CO; tel. (720) 272-6544

A Prinz 2009 Hallgartener Jungfer Riesling Kabinett of only 8% alcohol – as that statistic suggests – is delicate and unabashedly sweet, as well as glossy in texture. Lemon, pineapple, and papaya along with a smoky, faintly bitter infusion of black tea inform the nose, along with some reductive pungency (not attributable to spontaneous fermentation because this particular lot was very reluctant to “go off,” and therefore got yeasted). Satisfyingly long, this needs a few months to clarity itself, I suspect, and ought to drink well for at least 5-7 years. Fred Prinz is part of a dozen-man group that is set to share newly-propagated material from the ancient Mosel vines in Bruno-Schmitt and Karl-Josef Loewens portion of the Longuicher Maximiner Herrenberg, a project reminiscent of practice in the aftermath of phylloxera, when many Rhine estates acquire old vine material from the Mosel. The results should be interesting to follow, possibly revealing special synergies in the context of Hallgartens high, breezy, and in part slatey slopes. Interestingly, Prinz finished picking already on October 21, even though his sites are as a rule relatively resistant to botrytis. “Im for late harvest in principle to gain the depth of aromatics, but this year the must weights were already so high,” he explains, “and I didnt want dry wines of 14% alcohol. I was also concerned,” he adds, “that the acid levels might slip as time went by, although in the end, the latest-harvested grapes were actually higher an acidity.” (And the base line here was already elevated.) While still (after two decades) based in residential Hallgarten – relying on a small room in the basement of his home for tastings – Prinz recently acquired some additional acreage so that even his highest-volume generic Riesling trocken once again originates with estate fruit. Imported by Dee Vine Wines, San Francisco, CA tel. (877) 389-9463; also imported by Magellan Wines, Centennial, CO tel. 720-272-6544

A 2008 Hallgartener Jungfer Riesling Kabinett – like Prinz’s dry Schonhell Kabinett of this vintage – took advantage of multiple passes on the vineyards in an effort to insure low potential alcohol without garnering unripe flavors. The result is fresh, juicy, and relatively simple, featuring apple, pear and lime, and finishing with lift and delicacy if relative understatement. The effect of the acids and extract here has been to rein-in the wine’s perceived sweetness. I think this in the best possible sense “pretty” Riesling will be best-enjoyed over the next 3-4 years, although I am sure it will not implode immediately thereafter. Given the humidity and threat from botrytis, said Fred Prinz, he made some test passes over selected parcels beginning on October 4, but then quickly stopped for a week, because it was evident that the fruit’s flavors were simply not ripe. Like a number of growers, he was perplexed by the very slow evolution of his 2008s as well as the time they took to recover from bottling. Importers: Dee Vine Wines, San Francisco, CA tel. (877) 389-9463; Magellan Wines, Centennial, CO; tel. (720) 272-6544

The 2007 Hallgartener Jungfer Riesling Kabinett emphasizes floral perfume – here peony- and licorice-like – along with scents and succulent, soothing palate impressions of ripe peach and lightly poached pear. Ultra-delicate, with a somewhat slight but juicy and refreshing finish, this seems destined to be best drunk in the next 2-3 years, with its youthful fruit and sweetness still intact. Even in high-elevation, breezy Hallgarten, and given almost six weeks to harvest, to hear Fred Prinz tell it, getting healthy, truly ripe fruit in 2007 represented intensive labor and strategy. The tartness and green herbal character of his (as usual, machine-harvested) basic dry Riesling betrays some drawbacks of early picking, but Prinz needed a good volume of clean, well-concentrated, healthy fruit, and that he certainly achieved. Imported by Dee Vine Wines, San Francisco, CA tel. (877) 389-9463; also imported by Magellan Wines, Centennial, CO tel. 720-272-6544

The 2006 Hallgartener Jungfer Riesling Kabinett possesses a delightful lime sorbet-like character, with hints of lily and red berries as well as rich suggestions of nut oils and honey. Silken in texture and refined and delicate in its well-balanced finish, this is a model of what off-dry Rheingau Kabinett can be, but seldom is for a variety of reasons, not least of which are warm recent vintages and disinterest among vintners and the German public in the category. Enjoy it over the coming 6-8 years. This is yet another vintage that reminds Prinz that different parcels must be sought out, as well as different viticultural regimens, if he is to be able to preserve a sense of delicacy and the sort of refined floral and mineral character for which Hallgarten Riesling was long known, but he certainly mastered his task. Imported by Dee Vine Wines, San Francisco, CA tel. (877) 389-9463; also imported by Magellan Wines, Centennial, CO; tel. 720-272-6544